POST-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHIN IMPLANT

POST-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHIN IMPLANT

WEEKS BEFORE SURGERY

? Obtain Medical Evaluation and Clearance. Make a visit to your primary care

doctor to complete your medical evaluation and laboratory testing. Your surgeon

may request for you to also be evaluated by a specialit. Please ensure any

preoperative requests are completed 2 weeks before surgery.

?

Work and Recovery Arrangements. Make any arrangements to be off from work

or other strenuous activities while you are recovering from surgery. Have extra

help available, particularly if caring for small children.

?

Smoking. Tobacco, cigarettes and nicotine consumption will cause poor wound

healing, longer healing times, and excessive scarring. We advise discontinuing

these products more than 4 weeks prior to surgery.

2 WEEKS BEFORE SURGERY

? Surgery Preop Appointment. You will come in for your preop appointment where

you will review the surgery plan with your surgeon and go over logistical surgery

details with your patient coordinator. Bring your questions as well as any

individuals that will be part of your support and healing

?

DIET/SUPPLEMENT RESTRICTIONS. Avoid foods, drinks and herbal

supplements than can increase risk of bleeding and bruising. Avoid aspirin,

Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Motrin, blood thinners, vitamin E, omega-3, fish oil, and

alcohol. Use Tylenol in place of other over the counter pain medications.

?

Fill Prescriptions. These may include antibiotics and/or pain medication for after

surgery. Make sure you understand how and when to take all medications. We

suggest keeping a note pad to keep track of the medications you have taken.

?

Watch the PREOP AND POST OP VIDEOS on our website:



1 WEEK BEFORE SURGERY

? Review Instructions with Caregiver. Confirm who will be driving you to and from

the surgical center and who will stay with you for at least 24 hours after surgery.

The Naderi Center

Chin Implant Instructions ¨CPage 1-

?

Arnica. If provided, start your Arnica tablets two days before surgery. One in the

AM and one in the PM and continue until the bottle is finished.

NIGHT BEFORE SURGERY

? DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING AFTER MIDNIGHT OR SURGERY WILL

BE CANCELLED. If prescribed, take medications with a small sip of water.

?

Set Up Home Recovery Area. This may include pillows, blankets, books,

television, and anything else to assist with a comfortable recovery.

?

Bathing. You can shower but do not apply lotion, perfume, hair product, etc.

?

Relax. Stay calm and get plenty of rest to avoid unnecessary stress.

DAY OF SURGERY

? Dress Comfortably. Dress in comfortable, clean, and loose-fitting clothes. Shirts

that can be buttoned or zipped up are preferred.

?

Arrival to Facility. Arrive to the assigned facility of your procedure at the time

stated in your pre-operative packet. Remember to bring a form of identification.

?

Do NOT wear any makeup, jewelry, cosmetic creams, hair products, deodorant,

sunscreen, and remove all piercings.

POST-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHIN IMPLANT

NIGHT OF SURGERY

? Movement is Important. Make sure to get out of bed and be up and walking

around immediately after your surgery. When lying down in bed or on the couch,

make sure you are moving your legs and ankles. Take deep breaths frequently to

keep your lungs clear.

?

Talking. Talking should be minimized. Excessive talking, laughing, and chewing

will cause more swelling and discomfort.

?

Sleep. Sleep on your back with your head elevated about 30-40 degrees (2-3

pillows). Do not sleep on your side. Keeping your body more upright will

minimize swelling. Continue this for one to two weeks.

?

Dressing. You will have a piece of brown tape covering the incision after surgery.

The tape is to remain in place until your next follow up visit with Dr. Kulak 7 days

after surgery.

MEDICATIONS

The Naderi Center

Chin Implant Instructions ¨CPage 2-

?

Pain. You will be prescribed a pain medication for post-operative pain control. If

your discomfort after surgery is not strong you are welcomed to take Tylenol in

place of the prescribed medication. Do not take the Tylenol with the pain

medication, as most often the medication you are prescribed will have Tylenol in

it. Do not exceed 4,000 mg of Tylenol in any 24-hour time period. Take

medication with food to minimize risk of nausea.

?

Nausea. If you are experiencing nausea, which is common after general

anesthesia as well as a known side effect of some stronger pain medications, we

advise that you take your nausea medication.

?

Constipation. You will experience constipation if taking narcotic pain relievers.

Miralax or other over the counter laxatives are recommended. Do not wait to take

until you are constipated. Begin treatment with narcotic use.

?

Medications to Avoid. Take only those medications approved or prescribed by

your surgeon. Avoid medications containing aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin,

Naproxen, others) for two weeks before and after surgery. These medications

may increase bleeding.

?

Substances to Avoid. Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, for these will

dramatically slow the healing process.

NUTRITION

? Diet. Eat foods that are soft and require minimal chewing for one week. Do not

eat salads, tough meats, or chew gum. Chewing can cause an increase in pain

and swelling.

?

Hydration. Stay hydrated by drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day. Try to use

straws when drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol while you are still taking pain

medications.

ACTIVITY

? Physical Activity. It is important to not remain on complete bed rest while your

body recovers. Normal daily activity may be resumed a few days after surgery.

No bending over, straining, or lifting more than 5lbs for the first week after

surgery. Be extremely careful if wearing any ¡°pull-over the head¡± clothing.

?

Exercise. Light physical activity may be resumed 2-3 weeks after surgery.

Remember to start easy and build back up to your previous exercise levels. Just

know that swelling may transiently be worse with exercise.

?

Driving. Do NOT operate a vehicle or make important decisions until you have

been off narcotic pain medications for 24 hours. Use good judgment.

?

Return to work. Most patients require approximately 5-7days off work depending

on their job responsibilities and amount of face-to-face interaction.

The Naderi Center

Chin Implant Instructions ¨CPage 3-

?

Sexual Intercourse. Sexual activity can be resumed when you feel ready with no

restrictions and incisions have adequately healed.

?

Cold Compress. Crushed ice in a plastic bag, or frozen peas, wrapped in a terry

cloth towel may be applied to the chin. You may do this for 20 minutes every

hour for relief of pain and swelling during the first 48 hours after surgery. No

Direct Ice!

BATHING

? Showering. You may wash your hair and face as usual the day after your chin

implant. Remember to be gentle while incisions heal.

?

Hot Tubs/Baths/Swimming Pools. No tub baths or Jacuzzi until your incisions

have healed, and approved by your surgeon, which is usually around 2 weeks. It

is best to wait one month for hot tubs as they tend to have more bacteria than

regular chlorinated swimming pools.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR INCISIONS

? Stitches. Do not pick at or try to remove the stitches. Your surgeon will remove all

necessary stitches at your post-operative appointment. All the rest will dissolve

on their own.

?

Crusting. Should the tape covering your incision come off and crusting occurs, do

not pick at it. You may gently cleanse the incision line with Q-tips dipped in

hydrogen peroxide and apply antibiotic ointment and keep the incision lubricated

at all times.

?

Sun Exposure. Avoid and minimize sun exposure. Use an SPF of 30 or greater

when outdoors. Even a mild sunburn can worsen swelling, irritate an incision that

is healing, and cause permanent scar discoloration.

?

Scar healing. To help with incisional scar healing you may apply a topical silicone

gel to minimize the appearance, once the incisions have adequately healed and

your surgeon advised you it is safe to do.

WHAT TO EXPECT

? Drainage. Drainage can occur from the incision sites for the first week. The

drainage will be blood-tinged. You may use gauze or a light pad to reinforce

post-op dressings if this occurs.

?

Bruising. You can expect to have bruising. Most bruises will heal after about 2-3

weeks. The bruise will go from a purplish color to a yellow/green shade as it

starts to resolve.

The Naderi Center

Chin Implant Instructions ¨CPage 4-

?

Swelling. Swelling is to be expected for weeks and sometimes months. The

swelling can improve with intermittent rest and use of the headband. Exercise

and physical activity can transiently worsen swelling but is encouraged.

?

Itching. Itching at the incision sites is normal for a few days. You may take

Benadryl to help with this.

?

Pain. It is normal to experience tightness, pressure, shooting pain, soreness, and

fatigue for several days to weeks following surgery as you adjust to the new chin

size and recover.

?

Sensory Changes in Skin. Parts of the lower lip and chin may feel numb after the

chin implant operation. This is temporary and will resolve with time.

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS ¨C WHEN TO CALL THE OFFICE OR GO TO THE

HOSPITAL

? Signs of Infection. Spreading redness, worsening swelling, increased drainage

or drainage of pus, worsening pain and warmth at incision site. Temperature

over 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

?

Excessive Bleeding. If the dressings are saturated with bright red blood and you

are having to make very frequent dressing changes.

?

Other Emergency Situations. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest

pain, lightheadedness that does not quickly resolve, severe vomiting, pain or

asymmetric swelling in your legs.

SHOPPING LIST

1. Prescriptions. Fill prescriptions prior to your surgery date

2. Tylenol (Acetaminophen): alternative to narcotic pain medication if pain is not severe. Do

NOT take NSAIDS.

3. Arnica. An herbal supplement that can reduce swelling and bruising. Provided to you by

The Naderi Center

4. Laxative. To reduce constipation that may be caused by anesthesia or narcotic pain

medications.

5. Crushed ice/frozen peas wrapped in a towel. Apply to the chin for 20 minutes every

hour for the first 2 days following surgery.

6. Straws. Straws will aid in maintain good hydration after surgery and help limit arm

movement.

The Naderi Center

Chin Implant Instructions ¨CPage 5-

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download